Improvement in hydrants



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSHUA REGESTER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRANTS.

Specification forming part of Let-ters Patent No. 38,84I, dated June'9, 1863.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that 1, Josnna` REcEs'rER, of Baltimore, in the conn ty of Baltimore and Sta-te of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Street-Washer and Hydrant-Cock Combined; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe 'accompanying drawings,'making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of my invention, seen by removing one side of the metallic casing. Fig. 2 is a top View of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through Fig. 1 at the point indicated by the red line a: thereon. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section through the cocks. Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section through the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures'.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements'on the street-washing apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the 23d day ot J uly, '1861, whereby I combine in one machine the twofold advantages of a street-washer, or a means for connecting a hose to the cock for outside washing and watering purposes, and also a housesupply cock for supplying water for domestic use, both cocks being combined in the one stem or single-way cock 1n such a manner that while the lateral capacity of the outer casing, which incloses the apparatus, is materially reduced, an uninterrupted suppljr of water may be obtained at one and the same time both for the house and the street, or for either one purpose or the other, as will be hereinafter fully explained:

' To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A A represent the two semielliptical (in cross section) parts of a metallic casing which contains and supports the cocks. This casing is made of suiiicient length to extend down to the branch pipe which leads from-thestreet-main, and its Haring head or top is on a level with the sidewalk. The head and clapplates c a are cast with the main portions ot the casing, and notched out at their edges to receive and support the top and bottom portions of the apparatus which the casing contains, as shown in Fig. lof the drawings. The earsb bare tapped for receiving screws, which confine the two halves of the casing trmlj,- together, and the Haring top of this casing is covered by a cap, B, which fits down snugly into the rabbet c, its upper surface being Hush with the edge of the casing. The projecting lugs l d, which are shown in Fig. l, are the bottom of this cap or lcover'B, tit closely against the interior surface of the tia-ring top of the casing A A, and prevent the cover from being removed from its seat except by lifting it up bodily or horizontally, which can be done by a small tool that is introduced through the perforation d. This construction preventsvmalicious persons from tampering with the cocks, and also forms a good fastening, which will not be lia-ble to get out ot' order. The cocks are arranged at or near the bottom ot' and within the casing A A, as shown in Fig. 1. The tapering tails C G project through the casing a sufficient distance to allow ot' a .joint being made with the branch pipes without the inconvenience or way cock-plug having but one water-passage,

e, through it, which, on being turned so as to communicate with the slots j' j' through the socket-tube D will allow water entering C to' pass freely out through C. This cock is intended to supply water to the`house for domestic and other purposes, and it will be clearly seen that as long as the cock is open this supplywill be constant. rlhe water which is taken from the bend Gz into the Second cock passes through the opening y in t-h esocket-tube D and opening g in the hollow plug E, when this latter opening is brought to register with the former, and. thence the water is conducted r,to the top ot the casi ng A A by means of the tube I, which is furnished on its upper end with a suitable hose-coupling, h., as shown in Fig; 1. The lower end of the vertical pipe F is securely fixed to the upper end of the hollow conical plug E, andthe upper end of this tube is confined in itsplace by means of the notched plate a, as above described. The curved'lugs vi i, (shown in Figs. 1 and 2,.) secured to the upper end of pipe F above the plate a, are intended to receive the prongs of the wrench which is used in cutting off or leftti'ng on the water` for street purposes. -Tliese lugs i .i also serve-as stops to register the position ot the opening g with relation to l opening g by coming in contact with the head of the key-rod G, which is used to" operate the plug E. The tenon which is cast on the head ot the plug E receives a inortise, which is in Vvthe lower end of' the key-rod G, and this enablesthe plug Il to be operated by turning the rod G either to the right or to the left. The annular groovej, which ,is formed in the rodG nearA its upper end, is embraced by notches in the plates a a, which keepthis rod in its place in a vertical position. The lower ends ot' the socket-tubes D D are made of -sufcientlength to project through the lower plate, a', ot' the casing A A, and this, together with the upper bearings of rods G and F and the bearings of the tails C (1" in the casing A A, keeps the parts in their proper place and in a proper relation one with the other to ins ire a perfect working of the apparatus at all times. The serew-stems k l." on the lower ends ot` the tapering plugs E Ereceive the nuts n n', which keep the plugs down` in their respective tubnlar-socketswl) DE., From this description it will be seen tha-t I combine with my improved l street-washer a supply-cock, whereby I. am enabled to keep up a constant supply of water to the house whether the street f cock bc turned on or oi-if. The water entering under al head at C will pass freely around the street-washing cock E and -through the house-supply 7 cock E.

When this latter cock is open, as indicated by the course of the arrows in Figs. 4 and 5,and when it is desired to use the streetcock it is only necessary to turn the tube F by means of, the wrench shown in the drawings, as above described, and a double supply can be obtained without materially affecting either.

By constructing the cocks as I have above described it will be seen that the rods F and G will be inthe same vertical plane. The space occupied laterally by` the cocks is very much reduced, not bein g much greater than a straight tuhc would occupy, and this enables me to greatly reduce the lateral dimensions of the casing which incloses the whole apl'iaratus, and this reduction ot" the casing enables me to obviate an evil which attends the Wooden boxeasing hitherto used for protecting street washers, and which l will now describe. The

wooden box-casing is nothing more than lour thin boards nailed and strapped together and sunk into the ground for the p'urpose of keeping the earth from falling in and covering up the cocks, and also to allow a persomto'ger, at the cocks for turning the water oit' or These wo )den shafts soon decay vand require to-be replaced by new ones; lbut the greatest objection of all to these shafts is that they are uplifted by the freezing and thawing of the earth around them. Their great lightness and the extent of surface which they present to the surrounding earth causes the earth in freezing to lit't them up, where they remain after the learth thaws and settles, leaving their upper ends no jceting some distance above the surface of the sidewalk. Now, to remedy this evil, I employ a metallic casing, within which the entire apparatus is securely confined and supported, so that the casing cannot move without carrying with it its contents; and, in order to reduce the lateral capacity ot' the casing, and, consequently, the amount of suri'ace which is presented to the surrounding earth, I reduce the width of the cocks by bringing both cock plugs in the saine vertical plane and. making a conduit around the street-washing cocks, so that while I obtain a. direct. communication through the cock tube for a constant house supply, I can ob.`

tain water for street-washing purposes without cutting oit' or even atl'ecting the house supply. By this arrangement I am enabled to contract the casing laterally in one direc-` tion, which gives me as the best form for this casing the elliptical or ovatedgure shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When thiseasing is sunk into the ground, as above described, and connected to the brauch pipe which leads from the street-main, and also with the pipe leading to the house, these pipes will hold the casing down in its place so iirmly that the freezing and thawing ot' the earth about the casing will not have any material effect upon it, and it will remain in the position in which it was first placed and plumbcd-viz., with its upper surface or cap v13 level with the sidewalk. The perforation shown at p, Fig. 5, communicates with the open slot g' in the hollow plug E, and when this slot is brought to register with p as, for instance, when this cock is turnedoi' the water which is left in the pipe E will run out4 through perforation p. The object of this is to prevent water from freeezing in the pipe F.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. Combining in one andthe saine tube or tail-stock (l U G2 the two cocks E E', arranged and opera ting substantially as herein described.

2. Making the axes of the two cocks, when combined in one tail-stock or tube, in the saine plane and conducting the water through C lar key-rodi", bearings aa', and supply cocks and around the street-supply cock, substan- E E', substantially as and for the purposes tially as herein described. set forth.-`

3. Combining with and supportiugthe Street and house supply cocks Within a metallic casing constructed substantially as herein de- Witnesses:

sc ribod. v SAML. W. REGESTER,

4. The combination of the key-rodG, tubu ROBERT LEITOH.

JOSHUA REGESTER. 

